Posts Tagged ‘pest birds’

Bird Deterrents

Throughout the world, regardless of the crop, farmers routinely lose parts of their harvest to birds. Without some effective bird control measures, birds will peck away at fruits and vegetables grown in concentrated areas simply because they provide a quick and easy meal. Food storage areas such as barns and granaries also attract birds, causing loss and damage. Here are two of today’s most effective pest bird deterrents the pros recommend.

Solar Bird Chase Super Sonic

Ideal for farmers and growers, Solar Bird Chase Super Sonic devices broadcast bird predator and distress calls over wide fields. Birds hear the sounds and instinctively avoid the area. The highly versatile solar sonic bird deterrent can broadcast distress and predator calls for 22 species of birds. Unlike ultrasonic devices, which birds can’t hear, the Solar Bird Chase Super Sonic is well within a bird’s hearing range. The device is built of rugged weather resistant materials. It is powered by solar energy and has a built in sensor to turn the device off at night, conserving energy. The built-in speaker covers an acre.

Bird Netting

Perfect for keeping birds from your grapes and vines, Garden Bird Netting is a lightweight mesh used by many growers. The netting is quality made from a durable, UV-protected polypropylene. It’s strong, lightweight, virtually invisible, and designed for temporary use. It’s available in two roll sizes: 14′ x 100′ and 14′ x 200′ and can be easily cut to the needed size. You can also choose from three different “mesh” sizes–1/4″ mesh, 1/2″ mesh and 3/4″ mesh. To simplify installation, you should invest in some garden bird netting clips.

Bird Net 2000™ is a physical bird deterrent that blocks birds from accessing an area. This heavy duty polyethylene bird netting will block birds from entering your warehouse, barn, and other feed storage areas. It’s made from a UV-stabilized mesh and comes in various stock sizes and custom cuts. Choose from three different mesh sizes, depending on the bird you want to exclude–2” mesh and 1-1/8” mesh for medium-to-large birds; and 3/4” mesh for smaller birds. Bird Net 2000 comes with a 10-year guarantee.

For installation information, visit our authorized installer page on our website to learn more about installers in your area.

Every year thousands of protected migratory birds die in tailings or detention ponds used for industrial waste or filtering. Tailings ponds may contain bitumen, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, naphthenic acids, brine, heavy metals, and ammonia—substantaces that are harmful, even fatal to birds.

Heavy Duty Pond Netting is a humane bird deterrent solution that will solve this problem. Properly installed, pond netting creates a physical barrier that prevents migratory birds from landing in toxic tailing ponds or other water collection sites. The bird netting is stretched over these areas to prevent bird deaths.

Heavy Duty Pond Netting is made from a durable, UV stabilized Dupont® knotted mesh nylon and meant for prolonged use in harsh chemical environments. The bird netting comes in large stock sizes and custom cuts. It’s available in several mesh sizes–from 3/4-inch to 4-inch–to exclude a variety of large and medium sized migrating birds.

To streamline the proper installation of pond netting, bird control experts recommend the use of perimeter cable and accompanying mounting hardware. Bird-B-Gone offers an extensive line of bird netting hardware, which includes turnbuckles, hog rings, accessories, tools, cable crimps and perimeter cable. For best bird deterrent results, the cable should be set up around the area to be netted off. This ensures that there are no gaps for birds to sneak through, and that the netting stays taut and does not slouch. Once installed, the netting is virtually invisible and maintenance free.

Use Bird Spikes to Deter Pest Birds

Pest birds can also literally drive away customers, swooping down on them from the elevated perches of your store. No one likes to visit a store where birds are dive bombing them as they try to enter or leave. There’s also the nuisance of bird droppings, which can cover everything from windows, awnings and canopies to signage, doorknobs and walkways.

The solution, of course, is to employ some sort of bird control. One of the best bird control measures available today is bird spikes. Recommended for pigeons and other large birds, bird spikes have been used by thousands of store owners nationwide. They are easy to install and, in some cases, blend in with their surroundings to make them practically invisible.

Bird spikes remain an effective pest bird deterrent because they prevent pest birds from landing. No bird wants to get its wings tangled in a splay of nasty looking spikes. Better to simply find another, more bird-friendly landing area. Rest assured, the blunted spikes are safe and won’t harm our fine-feathered friends–they have been approved by a number of humane groups worldwide, including the U.S. Humane Society and PICAS (Pigeon Control Advisory Service).

Bird spikes come in strong, rigid polycarbonate or flexible stainless steel. Stainless steel bird spikes are available in 3-, 5- and 8-inch widths to cover areas up to 8 inches wide; plastic spikes come in 3-, 5- and 7-inch widths to protect areas up to 7 inches wide. The best spikes will provide many years of dependable deterrence, for they are made of marine-grade stainless steel and feature a U.V.-protected polycarbonate base. Some bird pikes come with a non-reflective metal finish, which means they won’t stand out on your roofline or parapet wall. You can even get spikes in a variety of colors to match your store’s signage, awnings or fixed canopies. Available colors include white, tan, gray, black, brown, brick red and crystal clear.

Pest birds often gather in rain gutters. In this case use Gutter Spikes. These specially designed bird spikes will keep pest birds out of your rain gutters. The spikes feature adjustable clamps at the base, which makes it easy to install them to the lip of a gutter.

Bird Repellent: Electric Flat Track System

Birds often land and roost in areas where they are not wanted. If you or your customer has a bird problem in an area where visual appearance is important, a bird repellent that is less conspicuous might be a good solution. Bird Jolt Flat Track is a physical bird deterrent that is virtually invisible, making it perfect in areas where visual appearance matters.

Bird Jolt Flat Track conditions birds to stay away from unwanted areas by giving off a mild electrical shock when they attempt to land on the treated area. The shock will not harm birds; it alters their behavioral patterns to associate the unpleasant feeling with the treated area, causing birds to stay away. The system will deter any size bird and works on buildings, signs, eaves and most high-profile areas birds land and roost. This electric track bird deterrent system has multi-patented anti-arcing and glue through designs.

Bird Jolt Flat Track is and now available in six different colors, –clear, grey, stone, black, terracotta and target red– to match most building materials.

When it comes to bird control, anyone can determine whether or not a bird problem exists, but that doesn’t get you too far unless you are a certified bird control expert. Without understanding and being able to identify the details of bird problems, it could be anyone’s guess as to what the real issues is and what it will take to resolve the problem.

Being properly trained is a key component to becoming a certified bird control expert. Being trained as a bird control expert equips you with the tools to assess a situation, analyze the bird species and behavior, ask the right questions, recommend a solution(s) and implement the solution. If you are evaluating a bird control problem with no expertise, you might find that while you can identify certain aspects of the problem, the whole picture isn’t always revealed unless you have been trained to look for certain details and to ask specific questions. One of the most common errors to stem from lack of training is recommending the wrong product or solution.

Know What to Look For & Ask the Right Questions:

Being properly trained allows you to identify and analyze every aspect of the situation, starting with asking the right questions.
1. What type of bird? Identifying the species of bird is paramount in determining a solution. Different bird species have different behavior patterns so it’s important to understand the type bird you are dealing with. Additionally, not all bird control products are effective in deterring all bird species.
2. Where are they? Knowing where the birds are located on the premises is another key component to providing a solution. Birds on a roof are a different problem from birds gathering around an entryway. Certain products that are recommended for roofs and ledges would not be applicable to the walkway outside a building or office.
3. What are they doing? Bird behavior on the premises is just as important as knowing where they are located. If a bird is nesting, a completely different course of action may be taken than if the birds are landing or roosting.
4. How many? The last major question to ask customers is how many birds there are. A few birds could be cause for a single product whereas dozens of birds might require multiple products.

Often times the customer will not know all the answers so doing a site evaluation is best when possible.

Recommending A Solution:

Depending on the Q/A session or site evaluation, a single product may be suggested or an integrated solution may be implemented.

Recommending a product or solution isn’t dependent only on the size of the bird; it is also based on behavior of the bird. If birds are nesting, full exclusivity is required to keep the birds entirely away from the nesting area. In this case bird netting or bird slope would be recommended to prevent birds from accessing the area. When birds are landing and roosting, however, other bird deterrents can be used: bird spikes, bird gel, bird jolt flat track and bird wire.

Eaves and open spaces like barns, beams, overhangs and other areas in or on structures are great for birds to a build nest. Certain species, like Barn Swallows, will come back to the same place year after year to nest; therefore, if they nested on your property in previous years, there is a good chance they will be back. It is best to deter birds before they arrive.

Whether using preventative methods or treating a current bird problem, plastic bird netting is best for 100% exclusivity. Plastic bird netting keeps birds away from treated areas by creating a physical barrier between the structure and the birds. Plastic bird netting is a lightweight mesh net used to keep birds from nesting in unwanted areas. It is a very low cost solution to humanely get rid of birds.

Plastic bird netting is made of U.V. protected polypropylene. It comes in a variety of mesh sizes: ¾”, ½” and ¼”. It is also available in several cut sizes to fit different size treatment areas. Ultra net is a lightweight plastic mesh that is meant for temporary use.

To install netting to keep birds out of eaves or open spaces, the ultra-net clips can be used. Otherwise a staple gun can be used to secure the netting around the perimeter. When the birds realize they cannot access the area, they will move on to another location. Once the birds are gone you can remove the netting.

Large Birds, like crows, seagulls, pigeons, raptors and cormorants, enjoy landing and perching in inconvenient places. These pest birds create a mess and sometimes cause damage and health issues by pooping. Some of these areas are unique either because of the small surface area or it’s an area with foot traffic, so unique solutions are required to get rid of birds in these areas.

The Repeller 360° is perfect bird deterrent for boats, docks, canvas, light posts, air conditioning units, signs, rooftops and many other areas that are small in diameter, made of unique materials or on slanted areas. Made of durable stainless steel, the Repeller 360° is attached to a UV protected polycarbonate base that spins continuously in the wind. The arms extend up to 6 ft. in diameter and have a reflective predator eye at each end. As the Repeller 360° turns, the constant movement creates confusion and the predator eye scares birds, causing them to avoid the area.

The Repeller 360° locks into place with a patent pending clip to prevent loss in high winds. It is very easy to install and you can choose from a variety of bases, including the sandbag base, boat base or railing mount, to secure your Repeller 360° where it is needed to keep birds away.

An initiative of the downtown revitalization project will include ridding the downtown of pests — pigeons.

For years, downtown business owners have complained about pigeons roosting in the downtown community. Efforts to rid downtown of the pigeons have not been successful, including demolition of the former Hergert Mill property made possible by Neighborhood Stabilization grant funding.

Instead, the pigeons have continued to call the downtown home. (more…)

Sometimes hardware or lawn & garden companies advertise ultrasonic devices that are supposed to drive birds away with high frequency noises undetectable to humans. Sounds like a good idea, right? Blast out sounds birds can hear but we can’t—what’s not to like? Unfortunately, the truth is that birds do not actually hear these ultrasonic sounds any better than humans do, and there is no scientific evidence that these devices actually work. The bottom line is that birds cannot hear ultrasonic frequencies and ultrasonic devices don’t work.

Humans hear sounds between the frequencies of about 20 to 20,000 acoustical vibrations per second (hertz or Hz). Middle C is about 262 Hz and the highest piano key (C8) is about 4186 Hz. As you get older, you lose the higher frequency sounds; middle-aged people can often hear sounds only up to 12,000-14,000 Hz (12-14kHz). High frequency dog whistles work because dogs can hear sounds up to 40-60 kHz. Bats use sounds up to 100 kHz to help them locate their flying insect prey and avoid obstacles in the night sky. (more…)

US Vice President Joe Biden’s Air Force Two plane suffered a bird strike as it came into land in California on Thursday night and had to be grounded, a US official said.

The plane, a Boeing C-32 modeled on the 757, in blue and white air force livery, was hit by birds as it came into land in Santa Barbara, California, after a flight from Los Angeles where Biden attended a campaign event.

The pilot brought the aircraft onto the runway safely but the plane was not fit to bring the vice president back to Washington on Friday so an alternative aircraft was used, the official said.

Local news crews showed pictures of one of Air Force Two’s engines being worked on at the airport in Santa Barbara.

Biden’s plane was involved in another mishap in August 2010, when it flipped over a small light aircraft while it was taking off from West Hampton airport in New York state.

Spikes placed incorrectly next to an owl decoy. The crow is given plenty of room to land on the ledge while the installation looks sloppy.

Written By: Meredith Walako

Bird Deterrents are designed to humanely deter birds from landing or nesting in unwanted areas. However, improper installation or misuse of products can lead to undesirable results that can potentially harm birds while also not being effective at deterring them in the first place.

Not every product works for every bird problem and certain products require care and planning to be successful. This is why it’s important to hire or consult a professional when dealing with a pest bird problem on your home or property.

From the installers perspective, improper installation can be a liability. Bad press, lawsuits and more can ensure if birds or humans are negatively impacted due to improper usage or installation.

Avoid claims that a product will work “100%” of the time. Most seasoned bird control professionals know there is nothing further from the truth. Choosing the correct product depends on the type of bird, the area its posing a problem and whether the birds are nesting or not. Other times, one type of product may not be enough – integrated solutions – using multiple products in conjunction with each other may work best for difficult bird problems.

There have been some recent news articles that have highlighted the negative impact of using bird deterrents improperly. Here are just a few with examples of what could have / should have been done in the first place. (more…)

Residents in a Kentucky town are saying “Get the flock out of here” to thousands of black birds that fill the sky each night.

At dusk, the birds take flight in La Grange, Ky., and create what some locals describe as a “cloud of birds,” according to TV station WAVE. The birds nest down in a wooded area for the night and depart each morning in a huge pack, reports said.

Fine-feathered friends, they’re not. Residents complain that they’re constantly cleaning up after the avian arrivistes, who started showing up last November in the community northeast of Louisville. Nearly everyone has heard their town compared to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film “The Birds.”

Bird-B-Gone, Inc.

Last year the city of White Rock experienced an EColi water scare when a small amount of bird droppings – 1 to 4 grams – seeped into a water reservoir. Now the town is looking into chlorinating water supplies and installing bird deterrents:

Pest birds can pose a major threat in and around facilities where food is being prepared, processed or stored. Without proper bird control measures, facilities managers and health inspectors know fair well how quickly and easily pest birds can contaminate food. Bird droppings can spread disease, harbor over forty types of parasites, and can internally host over 60 types of infectious diseases. Among the most common are histoplasmosis, encephalitis, salmonella, meningitis, and toxoplasmosis, even the West Nile virus.

FDA Rules and other Guidelines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and various state regulations governing food facilities clearly specify what food handlers and processors must do when it comes to food. It cannot be packaged, processed or held under unsanitary conditions where it may cause a problem or become adulterated. Food processing and handling firms that violate these regulations can jeopardize their license.

New York State regulations, for example, are quite specific about bird control: “No animals or birds, other than those essential as raw material, shall be allowed in any area of a food plant. Effective measures shall be taken to exclude pests from the processing areas and to protect against contamination of foods in or on the premises by animals, birds and vermin. The use of insecticides and rodenticides is permitted only under such precautions and restrictions as will prevent the contamination of food or packaging materials with illegal residues.”

Pest birds living in or on the exterior of a food plant are as much of a concern to food plant operators as rats, mice, bat or insect infestations. Direct contamination need not take place for a plant to be cited. Simply the evidence of pests, even without contamination may constitute a potential hazard and may result in a Federal citation. Health inspectors are often on the lookout for feathers, nesting material, droppings, regurgitated pellets of undigestable matter, eggs, ectoparasites, insects, fruits and seeds. A health violation may be cited if evidence of such contamination is found in the food product, product packaging, processing equipment, or storage equipment.

Effective Bird Control Measures

There are a variety of effective and humane bird control measures one can use without resorting to bird poisons (avicides), which have very strict guidelines for use. To prevent contamination, it is advisable to implement bird deterrent or bird repellent measures before evidence of contamination appears.

For large birds considering coming in for a landing, Bird Spikes look pretty intimidating. But the menacing-looking spikes are harmless to birds and maintenance crews. They come in 3”, 5” and 8” widths and two-foot sections. And they can be nailed, screwed or glued down onto any surface. So installation is fast and easy. Some spikes even come with a flexible base so they can be installed on curved surfaces (one manufacturer sells a spike that bends a full 360 degrees to accommodate any contoured surface).

Bird control spikes are available in durable stainless steel or unbreakable UV-protected polycarbonate. The poly spikes cost a bit less and are ideal for use where the electrical conductivity of steel spikes might present a problem. If pest birds seem to gather in rain gutters, choose the Gutter Spike (the best of these will feature adjustable base clamps for easy attachment to the lip of a gutter).

Install these electrified tracks on any flat or curved surface and no respectable pest bird will stay for long. With this bird control device, it’s one zap and they’re gone. The tracks emit a mild electric jolt that’s harmless to birds and people. Electric tracks have proven to be a highly effective bird control device for use on ledges, rooftops, parapet walls and any surface where pest birds tend to gather. The best electric tracks feature a low-profile flow-through design to keep water from damming up on rooftops.

To exclude pest birds altogether, there’s Bird Netting. This proven bird control measure is ideal for keeping pest birds out of certain troublesome areas. Bird netting comes in different mesh sizes to exclude a wide variety of pest birds. There’s 1-1/8” to 2” mesh size netting for pigeons and 3/4″ mesh for sparrows or starlings. Look for netting made of knotted polyethylene U.V.-treated twine, and netting that meets ISO 1806 protocols. If the netting is to be used near warm equipment, install flame-resistant netting. There’s also rot- and water-proof netting for extended outdoor use.

Whether you have a problem with a bird, or just enjoy birds and want to know more about them, it can be useful and enlightening to explore the world form their point of view. The way different birds actually see the world makes a big difference in how they interact with people and our world. Knowing how birds see and interact with the world around them can help us avoid conflicts with birds and better direct our efforts to create a world that is acceptable and beneficial for both birds and people.

Bird Vision

First of all, when we’re talking about how birds see the world, we really are interested in how birds see. Birds are very visual creatures. What they see helps determine how they interact with the world around them—including us! In some ways, birds see the world very differently than humans do. It isn’t a stretch to say that they are living in a completely different world when it comes to how much of the world they see and how it looks to them.

“Ask the Bird Expert” will be a helpful new tool in the bird control industry. Having the insight of an ornithologist will close the gap between the science of nature, and the nature of bird control.

Dr. Rob Fergus is an ornithologist who specializes in urban ecology and human/wildlife interactions. Fergus received his Ph.D. in urban bird conservation from the University of Texas at Austin. After founding the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory in Austin, Texas he created additional bird conservation programs in Austin as the first executive director of the 2,500 member Travis Audubon Society. In 2004 he moved to suburban Philadelphia where he was the Senior Scientist for Urban Bird Conservation at the National Audubon Society until 2009. In addition to researching and consulting on human/bird interactions in cities across the United States, Latin America, and Europe, Dr. Fergus currently teaches at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. and Rosemont College in Philadelphia, Pa.

Ask This Old House – sister show of the T.V. classic This Old House Recently reviewed our Bird Spider on a What is It? segment of the show. What is it? is a part of the show when viewers can send in unusual looking products to see if the team of hosts can figure out what it is or does:

“Ask This Old House is seeking unusual-looking objects. Got a strange tool or product related to home improvement? Now is your chance to stump the guys!”

The hosts at Ask This Old House have a little fun with our admitedly unusual looking product, starting with guesses on what it actually is used for, and then go into an explanation.

The Bird Spider is a visual bird deterrent that uses motion to keep large pest birds such as pigeons, seagulls, crows and cormorants off of boats, docks, pilings, air conditioning units, chimney caps, patio furniture, pool areas, light fixtures and more. We were very pleased that Ask This Old House chose the Bird Spider for review, and even happier that a customer out there sent it in. Thank You!!